In response to last weeks report about Deutsche Telekom cutting almost 2,600 jobs at their American arm, T-Mobile USA has now responded with their own statement that hopes to clear the confusion. What is apparent is that T-Mobile believes this “rumor” was spread by the Communication Workers of America union and that the information provided simply isn’t true.

The recent rumor spread by the CWA that T-Mobile has cut call center jobs is simply not true. While T-Mobile employs fewer customer care representatives in the last few months, this is a result of natural attrition, and NOT layoffs. In the past months, our call volumes have decreased due to a number of factors, including our success providing customers self-help options on their mobile devices and over the Web. This allowed us to operate more efficiently, without backfilling for employees who left the company. T-Mobile’s staffing plans will continue to be informed by the needs of our business.

T-Mobile continues to lead the industry in customer service and customer satisfaction, and this speaks volumes of our motivated Customer Care organization, as well as our continued stature as a great place to work.

About David Beren

David is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TmoNews.com. He considers himself a Jedi Knight, capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound and a connoisseur of fine cell phones. He has been involved in the wireless industry since 2003 and has been known to swap out phones far too many times in any given year. Should you wish to contact him, you can do so: david@tmonews.com.

If we peel the layers and look closely here’s what we should find… Tmobile is the bride getting ready for a traditional wedding. AT&T is the groom. Prior to the wedding, the bride is bound to lose a few extra pounds (cust care reps) and preddie herself up. Natural attrition my a**… It’s just another step towards trying to look more appealing (operations-wise and fiscally) as an acquisition candidate. And what do they have to lose after all? Worse case scenario if the acquisition doesnt go through (which would the best case scenario from my stand-point as a Tmo customer), Tmo will demand a big fat breakup bounty and go about its business. Talk about corporate responsibility towards the greater good of our society ;)

KT

If we peel the layers and look closely here’s what we should find… Tmobile is the bride getting ready for a traditional wedding. AT&T is the groom. Prior to the wedding, the bride is bound to lose a few extra pounds (cust care reps) and preddie herself up. Natural attrition my a**… It’s just another step towards trying to look more appealing (operations-wise and fiscally) as an acquisition candidate. And what do they have to lose after all? Worse case scenario if the acquisition doesnt go through (which would the best case scenario from my stand-point as a Tmo customer), Tmo will demand a big fat breakup bounty and go about its business. Talk about corporate responsibility towards the greater good of our society ;)

Guest

It is true! If you actually did your job you wouldn’t have been let go!

Guest

It is true! If you actually did your job you wouldn’t have been let go!

The ATL Guy

Are you familiar with the metrix they use to judge CS reps?
Your comments SCREAMS ignorance.

Guest

Yes, I do. And I’m Sure that if it was a “Skill” issue, the CS wouldn’t have been let go. “Will” issues will get you let go from anywhere :)

Guest

Yes, I do. And I’m Sure that if it was a “Skill” issue, the CS wouldn’t have been let go. “Will” issues will get you let go from anywhere :)

The ATL Guy

Are you familiar with the metrix they use to judge CS reps?
Your comments SCREAMS ignorance.

the_truth

You’re probably on welfare and wouldn’t know a job if it jumped in your face.

Guest

LOL, Nope, I’m sure i make more then you :)

Guest

LOL, Nope, I’m sure i make more then you :)

ww88ww

Then why are the ranks of worthless overpaid execs, 75 layers of management, and aimless leadership sycophants still employed?

The Truth

Guest,
Why are you defending evil? Oh ofcaorse that is because you are evil.

Guest

It is true! If you actually did your job you wouldn’t have been let go!

Anonymous

I was on hold today for 45 minutes waiting to get to a rep because out of the blue I get this email implying I have signed up for TMO easypay.
Weird.

Ejoesama

if you get a message saying that calls are delayed, that is generic, if you have to wait 45 mins (i know this is a stretch, more like 5 or 10 mins) its because you call too much, it has been that way even before ATT was on the table. as for firings, the firings are as per usual, the difference is, is that not a lot of hiring is going on right now. whether or not this has anything to do with ATT, i dont know. I am a CSRII, ‘Loyalty or Retention’ whatever you wanna call us, and to the guy that said, str8 to level 2 for him, the company is getting wise to that, and changing policies accordingly. so many people complain and ask for level 2, that they are stripping away our ability to help, so,… there you guy, if that helps.

Anonymous

If the ATT deal doesn’t go through then what? T-Mo will be done either way. I can see Sprint trying for them but there’s that different tech situation. But maybe they’ll get sold to other of the smaller cell companies….

Anonymous

If the ATT deal doesn’t go through then what? T-Mo will be done either way. I can see Sprint trying for them but there’s that different tech situation. But maybe they’ll get sold to other of the smaller cell companies….

Try Googling Me

For u dumb ducks out here, T-Mobile USA are cutting jobs, I have plenty of friends in Tampa Call Center that have been cut and just today it was talk about T-Mobil will close the location due to AT&T in 45-90 days! If you don’t believe it then try calling Financial Care, Tampa and ask off the record. The Richmond Call Center is in talks as well to be closed. There is an AT&T in Ocala and that’s going to be the option for Tampa…What needs to be talked about is the severance package for tenured employees(if they have not been fired already) how do u fire an employee of 10 years and then you say the performance was not up to par(really) the union needs to take a look into that!

superstarprince

I know this is about customer service reps but let me tell you they do the same thing against tmobile retail sales reps…I recently left as a tmobile retail sales rep where I watched this company make it impossible for a rep to make money. Company comes out with g2x..guess what recall..company comes out with htc sensation guess what..no commercials..company comes out with sidekick 4g guess what none everrr in stock everrr..they pay reps half of your first months rate plan…ie..if you get unlimited tlk for 60 per month, the rep makes 30 dollars..the bullcrap here is that tmobile plans get lower and lower soon its going to be free and a rep can’t make anything…now I work for verizon as a retail sales rep and it is beautifullll..the money is greattttt..they really reward reps for hard work…commission structure is fair…and they r really trying to be top dogs in cust. Care…please tmobile reps all over leave this company nowwww

Jason

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a sales rep and the last three months have been the highest commission statements I’ve ever received. Not to mention, we have had a great lineup of phones to sell in the smart phone area, which is where we all make our money. Probably, you were just a poor sales person, as I imagine working for vzw must be easy as anything with the “new iphone” all the idiot people think they have…

Jason

I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m a sales rep and the last three months have been the highest commission statements I’ve ever received. Not to mention, we have had a great lineup of phones to sell in the smart phone area, which is where we all make our money. Probably, you were just a poor sales person, as I imagine working for vzw must be easy as anything with the “new iphone” all the idiot people think they have…

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_H65VPFTJMXXU4SH5EHFGHPEAHI G.

I was at T-Mobile for almost 9 years. Then a week to the day after the announcement came out about the merger, I’m fired for “performance”. I was glad to go! I remembver the T-Mobile that bent over backwards for the customer and the rep and made good metrics possible! Now its all about making as much money as possible and damn the consequences.

guest

I’m positive you didnt get fired due to the possibility of At&t buying T-Mobile. You were fired because your performance sucked…for a long period of time. I know you had to have had multiple discussions regarding this before you were let go. You didnt just come in one day to have someone tell you that you were fired.

Loved TMO for 10 years

who are you kidding. are you blind? We had already gotten rid of most of the dead wood before the announcement. Had a friend go for not meeting one metric and was only 4 seconds from meeting that one. It did start that quickly.

Whoru

Have any of u that are still miraculously still employeed by tmobile and r csr’s noticed that if u have good sales ur iocr is “all of a sudden high” towards the end of the month…..in my eyes they just don’t want to pay us our bounus!!!!!!!!!

Just_d_14u

I have been at 16% all month and I am suddenly at 24.9.

Whoru

Welcome to the anti bounus conspiracy…..I feel like I’m working at a sweat shop

Spooln3

No one is forcing you guys to stay, you can choose to not come into work, go find another job that offers you the same benefits and pay if you are so unhappy. There was a time not to long ago when we didnt get a bonus at all. So shut up and do your job or do something about it and join the other 2600 reps that left on their own accord. T-Mo is not, and has not laid off any Call center employee. People get fired, or quit, but we haven’t laid anyone off.

manny

keep telling yourself that lie and you ma believe it one day…

Loved/Worked TMO 10 years

I know in my former call center people were accused of things they did not do and were fired for them. I know that at least some of these were absolutely ethical people that would not have done what they were accused of. The atmosphere in the call center was on its way down before the buyout announcement but after it was horiible. 52 people were fired in one day just over a week after the announcement. Tell me that was not the start of lowering the number of employees. from over 700 to under 300 in 5 months? Come on. And I still have friends there but they are not really happy. Just hanging in until something better shows itself. Oh and natural attrition is true since our center has not had any new hire classes since I left on 3/22/11. I was L+D and had friends there. Thanks for listening to my rant. Oh and the rep that was number one in the center when I left was fired within 2 months. He let a friend come in the pod after asking security if it was okay. A team manager not his, came over and took his badge and put him on suspension for the rest of the shift and fired him next day. Then came out with info that any visitors had to stay in the galley. That was not what we had previously done. We had visitors all the time on the floor. This person was given no warning or coaching. Its a hard world at tmo here!

Loved/Worked TMO 10 years

I know in my former call center people were accused of things they did not do and were fired for them. I know that at least some of these were absolutely ethical people that would not have done what they were accused of. The atmosphere in the call center was on its way down before the buyout announcement but after it was horiible. 52 people were fired in one day just over a week after the announcement. Tell me that was not the start of lowering the number of employees. from over 700 to under 300 in 5 months? Come on. And I still have friends there but they are not really happy. Just hanging in until something better shows itself. Oh and natural attrition is true since our center has not had any new hire classes since I left on 3/22/11. I was L+D and had friends there. Thanks for listening to my rant. Oh and the rep that was number one in the center when I left was fired within 2 months. He let a friend come in the pod after asking security if it was okay. A team manager not his, came over and took his badge and put him on suspension for the rest of the shift and fired him next day. Then came out with info that any visitors had to stay in the galley. That was not what we had previously done. We had visitors all the time on the floor. This person was given no warning or coaching. Its a hard world at tmo here!

TMO Service Partner CSR

the 2600 reps didnt “leave on their own accord” the call center(s) was shut down. and believe me, if Ohio HAD other jobs i would have left this one after day three on the job.

TMO Service Partner CSR

the 2600 reps didnt “leave on their own accord” the call center(s) was shut down. and believe me, if Ohio HAD other jobs i would have left this one after day three on the job.

Spooln3

No one is forcing you guys to stay, you can choose to not come into work, go find another job that offers you the same benefits and pay if you are so unhappy. There was a time not to long ago when we didnt get a bonus at all. So shut up and do your job or do something about it and join the other 2600 reps that left on their own accord. T-Mo is not, and has not laid off any Call center employee. People get fired, or quit, but we haven’t laid anyone off.

Mmmmhmmmmm

This happens to me EVERY month…

Mmmmhmmmmm

This happens to me EVERY month…

TMO Service Partner CSR

actually, no. my IOCR is like top 10 on our site and i dont sell for sh!t. i handle peoples issues effectively and quickly, and they rarely ever have to call back.

TMO Service Partner CSR

actually, no. my IOCR is like top 10 on our site and i dont sell for sh!t. i handle peoples issues effectively and quickly, and they rarely ever have to call back.

ANON231

This exact same thing happened to me when I had to really high months of sales. I met consistently and was right around 19 every month and it spiked to 24-26 the two months my sales were higher. I thought I was just being paranoid….This is bullshit dude.

Bluegreen123

Saying that the tmob is “cutting” 2600 jobs is certainly not true. They are simply instead pushing people out the door by any means necessary.

Williewonka

Its calles sales, people are being forced to resign due to not meeting company expections when it comes to adding features and upselling rate plans….

Dewey Cox

and it is hard to sell when customers do not know the future of the company that they are committing 2 years to.

Dewey Cox

and it is hard to sell when customers do not know the future of the company that they are committing 2 years to.

Dewey Cox

and it is hard to sell when customers do not know the future of the company that they are committing 2 years to.

Moe

TMO must think we are all nuts to think for one second that we believe the bull crap they are putting out there. Just be honest with your loyal customer base. Do pee on our leg and tell us it’s raining. We are all adults here and know the truth that TMO’s customer care has dropped. What ever happen to the thank you we used to get for being a loyal TMO customer and the cheerful people who answered our questions. Now your lucky if you can understand the customer care workers and no more thank yous.

Moe

TMO must think we are all nuts to think for one second that we believe the bull crap they are putting out there. Just be honest with your loyal customer base. Do pee on our leg and tell us it’s raining. We are all adults here and know the truth that TMO’s customer care has dropped. What ever happen to the thank you we used to get for being a loyal TMO customer and the cheerful people who answered our questions. Now your lucky if you can understand the customer care workers and no more thank yous.

Flashy4bb

before i say anything, we all know that money talks. as always, att will manage to misinform people in order to achieve its goal[s]. it is sad to know that poeple just don’t get it. t mobile has been proven to consistently lead the market as far as customer satisfaction goes. att wanted to be the only carrier of the iphone but where are we now? the fact of the matter is that att is trying or has been trying hard that it has lost control. they don’t need to acquire magenta before they add 5000 new jobs to the market. if you have the money, just invest it in a way to help with the economy and not break it. today, due to the 49,99 plan, i have 4 members of my family connected. will this happen with att? now they want people to get a tablet for 700 with a 2 years contract….come on now!!! Guys, please look at the picture or read between the lines to have a better assessment of the situation. if you think t mobile is not your type, verizon, sprint, att uscellular will be you options.

some old rep

I used to work for T-Mobile as a CSR1. About half way through last year it was announced that the Customer Service department would be making a shift towards “Sales and Service.” What that really means it that it became a requirement to make a sales offer on every single call, be it a troubleshooting issue, billing issue, payment issue, it didn’t matter what the call type was, and it didn’t even matter if the issue was resolved. About March or so of 2011 management began to lay on serious pressure to boost sales figures, which inevitably bred dishonesty with representatives. How many of you have called to have something removed from your account and find out later it’s still on your bill? Or, call to get something fixed and then find out that data or some other feature was activated with out your knowledge? That was more than likely due to a representative trying to pad his sales numbers. Management also began to coach reps to do assumptive selling, and then rescinded that coaching and training after legal issues arose. Now, reps who do not meet sales figures get let go. I left the company in May because I was getting far too frustrated with management valuing sales more than the customer experience, and I know many other representatives who followed suit. I believe that would explain the loss of many employees far more than self-help options and a decrease in call volume.

What’s really funny to me is that when sales were not a requirement in the call my sales figures were great. Way better than what they became after sales became a focus.

howard peterson

I too was a CSR1 and had the exact same experience!

some old rep

Glad I’m not the only one. I was having serious moral and ethical conflicts in feeling like I needed to lie to get my job done to the standards that management was holding me to.

It just pisses me off that there are so many reps that are totally willing to be dishonest to keep from getting fired.

some old rep

Glad I’m not the only one. I was having serious moral and ethical conflicts in feeling like I needed to lie to get my job done to the standards that management was holding me to.

It just pisses me off that there are so many reps that are totally willing to be dishonest to keep from getting fired.

some old rep

Glad I’m not the only one. I was having serious moral and ethical conflicts in feeling like I needed to lie to get my job done to the standards that management was holding me to.

It just pisses me off that there are so many reps that are totally willing to be dishonest to keep from getting fired.

TMO Service Partner CSR

yeah dude, i almost never even TRY to make a sales offer as i find it disrespectful to hump a customer for a sale after they told me they cant afford what theyve already got. if Verizon ever did that to me (ive had them for 13 years) i would bail on them in a heartbeat.

all this tells customers is “im not listening to anything youre telling me because i need to pressure you into a sale you dont want, need and cannot afford”.

the fact that im still employed, honestly, is shocking, because on my VOB scores i have NEVER gotten yeses on “asked to position a sales offer” or “made a sales offer”. only thing i DO is click the useless “offer tool” in Lagview.

this job may be the only thing from keeping my roommate and i from homelessness, but i was raised with a stronger code of ethics and morals than to disrespect the very people we are supposed to be serving.

TMO Service Partner CSR

yeah dude, i almost never even TRY to make a sales offer as i find it disrespectful to hump a customer for a sale after they told me they cant afford what theyve already got. if Verizon ever did that to me (ive had them for 13 years) i would bail on them in a heartbeat.

all this tells customers is “im not listening to anything youre telling me because i need to pressure you into a sale you dont want, need and cannot afford”.

the fact that im still employed, honestly, is shocking, because on my VOB scores i have NEVER gotten yeses on “asked to position a sales offer” or “made a sales offer”. only thing i DO is click the useless “offer tool” in Lagview.

this job may be the only thing from keeping my roommate and i from homelessness, but i was raised with a stronger code of ethics and morals than to disrespect the very people we are supposed to be serving.

TMO Service Partner CSR

yeah dude, i almost never even TRY to make a sales offer as i find it disrespectful to hump a customer for a sale after they told me they cant afford what theyve already got. if Verizon ever did that to me (ive had them for 13 years) i would bail on them in a heartbeat.

all this tells customers is “im not listening to anything youre telling me because i need to pressure you into a sale you dont want, need and cannot afford”.

the fact that im still employed, honestly, is shocking, because on my VOB scores i have NEVER gotten yeses on “asked to position a sales offer” or “made a sales offer”. only thing i DO is click the useless “offer tool” in Lagview.

this job may be the only thing from keeping my roommate and i from homelessness, but i was raised with a stronger code of ethics and morals than to disrespect the very people we are supposed to be serving.

Anonymous

Being a tech rep, these posts put a lot in perspective for me. I feel bad about this, but at my site, a lot of techs have been complaining about many Gen Care reps just being stupid lately. We’ve seen features added to accounts that weren’t even compatible with customers’ devices and have been seriously confused as to how it even happened. Knowing how much pressure they’re putting on you guys really answers a lot of questions. They’re putting the same type of pressure on us, just with different metrics. It sucks that the dishonesty of the company is causing the honest reps to look for other jobs. Eventually the only reps left will be the ones who don’t mind doing unethical things to better their situations. I’ve been loyal to T-Mobile for too long to just walk away, but no company should make their employees feel like they have to take anti-anxiety drugs to get through the day. I’m looking to get out.

Cell Phone Chick

Let me get this out there. They are laying people off. They just don’t call it that because that is bad publicity. In a call center environment you can change things to create “natural attrition”. For example when I worked for a computer company we would hire and ramp up like crazy about this time of year but come the first of the year you knew as a veteran rep the company would make it nearly impossible for reps to meet their numbers that way they could inflate “natural attrition”. But T-Mobile, does need to replace the reps, they just aren’t hiring in the U.S. They are instead outsourcing like a S.O.B. This is all due to D.T.’s greed and their henchman Phillip Humm. FYI for those of you in Gen Care and Renew you all are on the chopping block. Anyone in or have co-workers in an L&D Pod? That is your 2 minute warning. If you get sent to an L&D Pod, go ahead start looking for a new job.The only thing that is going to be left in the U.S. is Customer Loyalty. When I read about the DOJ’s announcement all I could think about was Chevy Chase in Fletch bent over the table singing Moon River. DT and T-Mobile have screwed themselves big time. They drank they blue Kool-Aid and are now F’D. It’s funny the other day they passed out to the employees blue Gatorade and we all joked about switching from the red Kool-Aid to the blue Kool-Aid. No blue kool-aid for me thank you.

some old rep

I was dismayed when they phased out the Quality Program in favor of a pass/fail system. It seemed inherently designed to make you fail. And to think, when I was hired they told me that the company valued quality. True colors are showing, and they are horrifying magenta.

Guest

If you think the new scoring system is designed to make you fail you are an idiot. How can anyone fail that system? It’s almost impossible. I’m certainly not saying it better by any means. It just shows the focus has changed to CRT and IOCR. Less call time and call backs saves a ton of money.

Iknowtmo

You’re f**king stupid!!! I watched Tmo corp idiots constantly change the scoring system for over 8 yrs to manipulate the numbers. Some of the changes were done only at certain call centers. You have to meet more than CRT and IOCR. Tmo’s focus is contracts. Why do you think ALL plans now require contracts. For example, no more Even More Plus. The Value plan is just Even More Plus revised. They are bleeding customers which means less money they will get from the AT&T deal. Tmo is also trying to avoid paying alot in severance packages. OPEN YOUR EYES. They are putting extra stress ( impossible metrics ) on employess so they quit or they fire those who don’t meet. This has been happening for at least the last 4 months in my call center. Call it what you want. They are laying off and outsourcing. I take calls all day long from customers complaing about trouble getting through to a rep in the USA. Tmo’s response is BS. If the call volume was lower, there would be no code red or teamwork. Tmo is manipulating the system once again, just like they manipulate incoming calls to the centers. If you call too much you are put on hold for an extremly long time or routed overseas. Your number was flagged. If you called from a different number your wait was short. There was no issue with the call routing system as Tmo claimed.

Iknowtmo

You’re f**king stupid!!! I watched Tmo corp idiots constantly change the scoring system for over 8 yrs to manipulate the numbers. Some of the changes were done only at certain call centers. You have to meet more than CRT and IOCR. Tmo’s focus is contracts. Why do you think ALL plans now require contracts. For example, no more Even More Plus. The Value plan is just Even More Plus revised. They are bleeding customers which means less money they will get from the AT&T deal. Tmo is also trying to avoid paying alot in severance packages. OPEN YOUR EYES. They are putting extra stress ( impossible metrics ) on employess so they quit or they fire those who don’t meet. This has been happening for at least the last 4 months in my call center. Call it what you want. They are laying off and outsourcing. I take calls all day long from customers complaing about trouble getting through to a rep in the USA. Tmo’s response is BS. If the call volume was lower, there would be no code red or teamwork. Tmo is manipulating the system once again, just like they manipulate incoming calls to the centers. If you call too much you are put on hold for an extremly long time or routed overseas. Your number was flagged. If you called from a different number your wait was short. There was no issue with the call routing system as Tmo claimed.

CWS

I agree with you 100%. All of those above and below have no idea what they are saying or were too lazy to meet the needs of the business. The metrics are not hard and the 8 years i have been there, these are the easiest metrics to accomplish. I am in Customer Loyalty and none of you mention the fact that many of the metric that are required currently are almost the same over 1 year ago. Crt has dropped as a requirement 10-20 seconds at most, and quality is not gone it is just scored differently now. All these changes in the metrics are to meet the needs of the business mainly what the customers needs are. On the business of out sourcers, they have been outsourcing calls for years now, overseas and here in the U.S. There are reps still working who have not met metrics and are given many chances to improve and are given the help to do so. There are NO LAYOFFS, but hiring more people is a major investment and with the future uncertian right now it is best to have a freeze on hiring and this does not even apply to all call centers some are still being staffed based on the need. Bottom line if you are going to post something as an employee or X employee be objective about the information you are going to post.

Cell Phone Chick

I too am in CLT and I can assure you that while certain departments have been outsourced for years Gen care was not. get YOUR facts right. They are firing people like crazy and yes they are rehiring, just not in the U.S. many members of leadership and L&D are in other countries training them. Put your Kool-Aid down and ask someone with a higher pay grade than yourself. Ask enough people and they will tell you. Most of my leadership are as worried as we are they just aren’t allowed to show it. Do you realize that if we A) Unionize or B) The merger is put to bed, we will show up to a locked call center and all calls routed to outsourcers. This can be done in a matter of minutes. Don’t think because you have been with the company 8 years and are in CLT you are safe. We might be. It is very possible CLT will be the only U.S. based call center department left. But the department could and most likely be consolidated into one facility hence your’s or mine could be closed. As far as them metrics go they did the ultimate metric change. They took tenured reps who have been trained and programmed to do customer service and expected them to be sales reps. It takes a different kind of person to be a good and honest sales rep. My call center did not get the S&S training until 6 months after we converted to S&S. Then the firing spree began. You’re the kind of rep that when you are on the outside looking in, will be standing there with your mouth on the ground when your bubble bursts, and you realize many many people on here said exactly what was going to happen. Welcome to Corporate America where money talks and employees walk.

Cell Phone Chick

I too am in CLT and I can assure you that while certain departments have been outsourced for years Gen care was not. get YOUR facts right. They are firing people like crazy and yes they are rehiring, just not in the U.S. many members of leadership and L&D are in other countries training them. Put your Kool-Aid down and ask someone with a higher pay grade than yourself. Ask enough people and they will tell you. Most of my leadership are as worried as we are they just aren’t allowed to show it. Do you realize that if we A) Unionize or B) The merger is put to bed, we will show up to a locked call center and all calls routed to outsourcers. This can be done in a matter of minutes. Don’t think because you have been with the company 8 years and are in CLT you are safe. We might be. It is very possible CLT will be the only U.S. based call center department left. But the department could and most likely be consolidated into one facility hence your’s or mine could be closed. As far as them metrics go they did the ultimate metric change. They took tenured reps who have been trained and programmed to do customer service and expected them to be sales reps. It takes a different kind of person to be a good and honest sales rep. My call center did not get the S&S training until 6 months after we converted to S&S. Then the firing spree began. You’re the kind of rep that when you are on the outside looking in, will be standing there with your mouth on the ground when your bubble bursts, and you realize many many people on here said exactly what was going to happen. Welcome to Corporate America where money talks and employees walk.

cws

Ok here are the facts “cell phone chick” have you talked to l&d, did you know the training they are doing overseas is the sales & device training that we recieved. Of course they are to train them doesn’t make sense not to if they are taking gen calls. Yes we have been outsourcing for years probably as long as we have both been there including gen how do u expect the influx still to be handled as centers close down across the country closer to midnight. Better yet talk to RP and l&d and they will both tell you how long calls have been outsourced. Now metrics have constantly changed over the years. Just think about how they have in the 8 years since you have been there and you really trying to say they are impossible. How about all the gen reps and clt reps who are making it possible like myself. As business and industry changes the business had better learn to change with it. If there is any downside to the new metrics it is that tmobile should have been implenting this along time ago. Tell me at all if you can recall one rep being fired because they were doing there job and meeting their metrics and if not were givin the opportunity to improve. You honestly think they make up metrics for the sole reason to fire people? If you honestly believe that then why are you still with Tmobile? Let me guess you are the type who hates thier job. Are you meeting your metrics or on a corrective action if so are you doing what you should be? If none of that applies to you and you are meeting month after month the what the HELL are you complaining about. Either if you are the type that bashes tmobile and its loyal customers every day then why not just quit especially since you can read the future on this entire mess. So what if what you say happens and let’s just say we are all laid off which won’t happen. You can’t control what happens but what if you do quit and come to find out many of us do stay past the buy out and it turns out better. Either way in not going to pretend I know what happens and bring everyone down with me. I will and do encourage my team to wait and see because we don’t know what the future holds. In the mean why don’t you bone up on business and economics 101 because its clear you don’t understand either one. If not do us a favor and quit and make room for a gen care rep who can do your job. I’ve looked at these blogs for years and your tired old negative comments sounds like someone who needs to find success else where.

cws

Ok here are the facts “cell phone chick” have you talked to l&d, did you know the training they are doing overseas is the sales & device training that we recieved. Of course they are to train them doesn’t make sense not to if they are taking gen calls. Yes we have been outsourcing for years probably as long as we have both been there including gen how do u expect the influx still to be handled as centers close down across the country closer to midnight. Better yet talk to RP and l&d and they will both tell you how long calls have been outsourced. Now metrics have constantly changed over the years. Just think about how they have in the 8 years since you have been there and you really trying to say they are impossible. How about all the gen reps and clt reps who are making it possible like myself. As business and industry changes the business had better learn to change with it. If there is any downside to the new metrics it is that tmobile should have been implenting this along time ago. Tell me at all if you can recall one rep being fired because they were doing there job and meeting their metrics and if not were givin the opportunity to improve. You honestly think they make up metrics for the sole reason to fire people? If you honestly believe that then why are you still with Tmobile? Let me guess you are the type who hates thier job. Are you meeting your metrics or on a corrective action if so are you doing what you should be? If none of that applies to you and you are meeting month after month the what the HELL are you complaining about. Either if you are the type that bashes tmobile and its loyal customers every day then why not just quit especially since you can read the future on this entire mess. So what if what you say happens and let’s just say we are all laid off which won’t happen. You can’t control what happens but what if you do quit and come to find out many of us do stay past the buy out and it turns out better. Either way in not going to pretend I know what happens and bring everyone down with me. I will and do encourage my team to wait and see because we don’t know what the future holds. In the mean why don’t you bone up on business and economics 101 because its clear you don’t understand either one. If not do us a favor and quit and make room for a gen care rep who can do your job. I’ve looked at these blogs for years and your tired old negative comments sounds like someone who needs to find success else where.

Cell Phone Chick

I too am in CLT and I can assure you that while certain departments have been outsourced for years Gen care was not. get YOUR facts right. They are firing people like crazy and yes they are rehiring, just not in the U.S. many members of leadership and L&D are in other countries training them. Put your Kool-Aid down and ask someone with a higher pay grade than yourself. Ask enough people and they will tell you. Most of my leadership are as worried as we are they just aren’t allowed to show it. Do you realize that if we A) Unionize or B) The merger is put to bed, we will show up to a locked call center and all calls routed to outsourcers. This can be done in a matter of minutes. Don’t think because you have been with the company 8 years and are in CLT you are safe. We might be. It is very possible CLT will be the only U.S. based call center department left. But the department could and most likely be consolidated into one facility hence your’s or mine could be closed. As far as them metrics go they did the ultimate metric change. They took tenured reps who have been trained and programmed to do customer service and expected them to be sales reps. It takes a different kind of person to be a good and honest sales rep. My call center did not get the S&S training until 6 months after we converted to S&S. Then the firing spree began. You’re the kind of rep that when you are on the outside looking in, will be standing there with your mouth on the ground when your bubble bursts, and you realize many many people on here said exactly what was going to happen. Welcome to Corporate America where money talks and employees walk.

CWS

I agree with you 100%. All of those above and below have no idea what they are saying or were too lazy to meet the needs of the business. The metrics are not hard and the 8 years i have been there, these are the easiest metrics to accomplish. I am in Customer Loyalty and none of you mention the fact that many of the metric that are required currently are almost the same over 1 year ago. Crt has dropped as a requirement 10-20 seconds at most, and quality is not gone it is just scored differently now. All these changes in the metrics are to meet the needs of the business mainly what the customers needs are. On the business of out sourcers, they have been outsourcing calls for years now, overseas and here in the U.S. There are reps still working who have not met metrics and are given many chances to improve and are given the help to do so. There are NO LAYOFFS, but hiring more people is a major investment and with the future uncertian right now it is best to have a freeze on hiring and this does not even apply to all call centers some are still being staffed based on the need. Bottom line if you are going to post something as an employee or X employee be objective about the information you are going to post.

Cell Phone Chick

Let me get this out there. They are laying people off. They just don’t call it that because that is bad publicity. In a call center environment you can change things to create “natural attrition”. For example when I worked for a computer company we would hire and ramp up like crazy about this time of year but come the first of the year you knew as a veteran rep the company would make it nearly impossible for reps to meet their numbers that way they could inflate “natural attrition”. But T-Mobile, does need to replace the reps, they just aren’t hiring in the U.S. They are instead outsourcing like a S.O.B. This is all due to D.T.’s greed and their henchman Phillip Humm. FYI for those of you in Gen Care and Renew you all are on the chopping block. Anyone in or have co-workers in an L&D Pod? That is your 2 minute warning. If you get sent to an L&D Pod, go ahead start looking for a new job.The only thing that is going to be left in the U.S. is Customer Loyalty. When I read about the DOJ’s announcement all I could think about was Chevy Chase in Fletch bent over the table singing Moon River. DT and T-Mobile have screwed themselves big time. They drank they blue Kool-Aid and are now F’D. It’s funny the other day they passed out to the employees blue Gatorade and we all joked about switching from the red Kool-Aid to the blue Kool-Aid. No blue kool-aid for me thank you.

Cell Phone Chick

Let me get this out there. They are laying people off. They just don’t call it that because that is bad publicity. In a call center environment you can change things to create “natural attrition”. For example when I worked for a computer company we would hire and ramp up like crazy about this time of year but come the first of the year you knew as a veteran rep the company would make it nearly impossible for reps to meet their numbers that way they could inflate “natural attrition”. But T-Mobile, does need to replace the reps, they just aren’t hiring in the U.S. They are instead outsourcing like a S.O.B. This is all due to D.T.’s greed and their henchman Phillip Humm. FYI for those of you in Gen Care and Renew you all are on the chopping block. Anyone in or have co-workers in an L&D Pod? That is your 2 minute warning. If you get sent to an L&D Pod, go ahead start looking for a new job.The only thing that is going to be left in the U.S. is Customer Loyalty. When I read about the DOJ’s announcement all I could think about was Chevy Chase in Fletch bent over the table singing Moon River. DT and T-Mobile have screwed themselves big time. They drank they blue Kool-Aid and are now F’D. It’s funny the other day they passed out to the employees blue Gatorade and we all joked about switching from the red Kool-Aid to the blue Kool-Aid. No blue kool-aid for me thank you.

ConspiracyTheory

Let me tell you the real story! Tmobile has gotten real shady and EVIL! The firing sprees have gotten out of control! They are on the rampage firing tenured reps and supervisors for the smallest things that would normally result in a verbal warning, some ppl have been fired for things that arent even an issue! we all know the real reasons here is to either avoid paying severence to tenured employees or to deflate the operational costs by eliminating people! This is not where the evil stops though, it gets worse! T-Mobile fights all unemployment benefits! Leaving people in a bad economy HOMELESS! yes HOMELESS! Do not be surprised when you start reading about thousands of lawsuits against t-mobile for their unconscionable acts of wrongful termination! The numbers will speak VOLUMES!

Nobody

Why don’t you sign the post as “CWA Rep”

Nobody

Why don’t you sign the post as “CWA Rep”

TMO Service Partner CSR

yeah this is COMPLETE bullshit. i work for a tmobile call center that is taking a HUGE influx of calls BECAUSE of the job cuts. its a well known fact that this did indeed happen.

TMO Service Partner CSR

yeah this is COMPLETE bullshit. i work for a tmobile call center that is taking a HUGE influx of calls BECAUSE of the job cuts. its a well known fact that this did indeed happen.

Amber Hotts

I’ve been glued to this site for almost 2 years but today I signed up to post. Mostly because I sold my soul to the devil and I thought I’d never do it and I really regret what I’ve done. I’ve worked for T-Mobile for almost 2 years. As you’ve read other people saying; T-Mobile has been really pushing their sales the past few months. A week ago we had a team meeting and we were told that if we didn’t meet certain sales goals we would get corrective actions. Today, September 1st I was told shortly after my shift that if I didn’t sell at least $20 during my shift I would have a corrective action waiting for me tomorrow when I came to work. Thirty minutes before my shift ended I still hadn’t been able to sell anything so I added a $20 feature to a ladies account without her permission; just so I can keep my job, so my supervisor can keep her job and so the executives can increase their bottom line. This sort of thing has been going on among reps for a few months just so they can be in Q1 or Q2 and get their monthly bonus. I’ve been long against reps adding things to customer’s accounts without their permission and here today I find myself in the same category just so I can keep my job. I really feel like scum and have been laying here in bed for 3 hours without being able to sleep. I regret what I did this afternoon and for the first time since I started my employment; I have a strong distaste for the company. I suspect it won’t be very long before I’m termed because of my poor sales. I truly beg forgiveness from the customer that I added the $20 feature to without her permission.

Nobody

Sales people that don’t make sales should be coached to help sell. Managers that allow sales people to continue employment without selling products and services should be fired. It’s business and you shouldn’t sleep at night for what you have done. Your actions are your fault and no one else.

Amber Hotts

I was hired 2 years ago as a customer service representative not a hard core saleswoman. I have no experience in sales but I’m threatened to be termed if I don’t make a quota. All this while employees sit during auto-in time searching for random accounts to add stuff to just they can make their bonus and look good in the eyes of the site. Everyone looks the other way as this stuff happens daily. The people who do this job unethically are viewed a champions yet the honest people like me who offer a sale every call are threatened to be termed because no one wants to buy anything, let alone afford the bill they have now.

Fedup

Wait till it happens to me…. I’ll be calling both the FTC and the FCC ! That’s consumer fraud…flat out.

Amber Hotts

I was hired 2 years ago as a customer service representative not a hard core saleswoman. I have no experience in sales but I’m threatened to be termed if I don’t make a quota. All this while employees sit during auto-in time searching for random accounts to add stuff to just they can make their bonus and look good in the eyes of the site. Everyone looks the other way as this stuff happens daily. The people who do this job unethically are viewed a champions yet the honest people like me who offer a sale every call are threatened to be termed because no one wants to buy anything, let alone afford the bill they have now.

Nobody

Sales people that don’t make sales should be coached to help sell. Managers that allow sales people to continue employment without selling products and services should be fired. It’s business and you shouldn’t sleep at night for what you have done. Your actions are your fault and no one else.

Tabatha9999

Amber, forgive yourself. T Mobile is in the wrong here and they will pay the price some day.

DoodInTheKnow

You should get out of sales… You worked a whole day and couldn’t sell $20? You should beg for forgiveness of T-Mobile still giving you a check.

Gonzo7380

So understand your frustration! Amen! You will be forgiven I’m sure of it! Tmobile does only care about making quotas and balancing numbers to look like they are doing their job well, play the system.

Amber Hotts

I’ve been glued to this site for almost 2 years but today I signed up to post. Mostly because I sold my soul to the devil and I thought I’d never do it and I really regret what I’ve done. I’ve worked for T-Mobile for almost 2 years. As you’ve read other people saying; T-Mobile has been really pushing their sales the past few months. A week ago we had a team meeting and we were told that if we didn’t meet certain sales goals we would get corrective actions. Today, September 1st I was told shortly after my shift that if I didn’t sell at least $20 during my shift I would have a corrective action waiting for me tomorrow when I came to work. Thirty minutes before my shift ended I still hadn’t been able to sell anything so I added a $20 feature to a ladies account without her permission; just so I can keep my job, so my supervisor can keep her job and so the executives can increase their bottom line. This sort of thing has been going on among reps for a few months just so they can be in Q1 or Q2 and get their monthly bonus. I’ve been long against reps adding things to customer’s accounts without their permission and here today I find myself in the same category just so I can keep my job. I really feel like scum and have been laying here in bed for 3 hours without being able to sleep. I regret what I did this afternoon and for the first time since I started my employment; I have a strong distaste for the company. I suspect it won’t be very long before I’m termed because of my poor sales. I truly beg forgiveness from the customer that I added the $20 feature to without her permission.

Nechcg

since March/April 2011, Tmobile customer service waiting time dramatically increased from a few min to 50 mins or more than one hour. its really unacceptable.

Nechcg

since March/April 2011, Tmobile customer service waiting time dramatically increased from a few min to 50 mins or more than one hour. its really unacceptable.

Guest

I was a supervisor for 3 years and a rep for 2. My history with the company was great as were my stats and reputation in the call center. I never had attendance issues. For reasons beyong my control (legal) i missed 1 day of work without being able to call in. I offered to present the paperwork to back up my case and was told it wasnt needed. By the end of the shift I was Suspended. There was an elaborate story based on twisted facts presented to unemploymnet so I would be denied.

Neither the Coach or Manager showed the slightest interest in my situation. It is well known in the call center what is going on. Reps Have been dropping like flies for bs for months…

Guest

I was a supervisor for 3 years and a rep for 2. My history with the company was great as were my stats and reputation in the call center. I never had attendance issues. For reasons beyong my control (legal) i missed 1 day of work without being able to call in. I offered to present the paperwork to back up my case and was told it wasnt needed. By the end of the shift I was Suspended. There was an elaborate story based on twisted facts presented to unemploymnet so I would be denied.

Neither the Coach or Manager showed the slightest interest in my situation. It is well known in the call center what is going on. Reps Have been dropping like flies for bs for months…

Abc

they never answer customer service 30 min ….. 1 hr later still no service WTF

ex employee

Well I know the reason I quit the company. You guys are telling your Customer Service Representatives to lie to there customers. IF someone calls in asking if they are on the best rate plan for themselves, then you should be able to give them the right rate plan. SPPH has made working at that place a living hell. “right fit” my butt. You can put whatever spin on it but at the end of the day all you guys care about is money money money. I miss myfavs and do more get more points. They way it used to be when costumers mattered. No wonder Robert Dotsen Left and as soon as we got the over seas guy over here it has been the worst work environment ever. You guys make it so the customers hate us now. We don’t want to lie, or shove features down there throats. But if we don’t we get fired. Most people who have to work here call this place hell. And I am so glad I am out of that hell.

Anon321

KEYWORD: no LAYOFFS! They’ve just been firing everybody.

LOST

I was also FIRED from t mobile after the new training to get ready for att take over. When I started at the call center there were around 600 employees when I was canned for not meeting THE NEW requirements for att there were less than 400. Keep in mind this was only 5 months. Unbelievable. I filed for unemployment and t mobile denied. Ive lost everything.

DoodInTheKnow

You’re mad that you work a sales job and you don’t want to sell… Get a new job

Anon321

Do you just troll this website? It wasn’t a sales job, it TURNED INTO a sales job without warning. Do you know how hard it is to get a job in this economy?

Sunshine11

How nasty can you be – really? Sounds like you work for corporate TMO too. Wishing you all the happiness. Best of luck!

Gonzo7380

Tmobile went down the crapper when sue nokes left, that’s when they stopped caring about the customers and employees! I was a csr for 6 yrs and am glad to finally be free of that place!

Anonymous

AMEN…A FREAKING MEN!!! FINALLY…SOMEONE WHO THINKS THE SAME!

Happy with Tmobile!

I work for a t-mobile call center. Its GREAT, there are NO unrealistic expectations, and everything is very fair. One of the best jobsI have ever had! :)

Era7073

This is a shame. I worked for t-mobile about six years ago, and it was one of best business environments I’ve ever worked in. At that time T-Mo’s goal was answering calls within one minute, and one-call resolution. Per-call time and politeness were also major issues, but the atmosphere was one of helpfulness, not pressure and anxiety. Also, CSR’s did NOT do sales, other than what a customer asked for in the course of a call. I.e. if a customer wanted buy a new phone, we helped, but we did not have any quota, or requirements to push the issue. It’s a real shame to see how it has gone downhill.

waiting to be fired

I’ve worked with TMO for over 5 years. Our rural call center used to have an estimated 750 employees. We now have less than 200, and most are not tenured. My call center is FIRING (not laying off) tenured reps, citing lack of performance. TMO is a pay for performance based company; you must be good at your job to have accrued tenure; all of a sudden hundreds of reps in my call center have stopped being good at their jobs?!!

Oh, and we must make sales on every call now- so be prepared for the pitches. Quality, Concern, Timely Resolution and Knowledge + Call Resolution Time used to be the metrics we were measured on. We are now measured on Sales Per Productive Hour and Call Resolution Time. For a while there, we were instructed NOT to review customers’ accounts for mistakes or overages: answer the basic question, sell a feature, and get ‘em off the phones is our new mantra.

I used to LOVE my job. I don’t know a single employee that believes in TMO now…..

TMO rep

As a T-Mobile retailer when I need to call the T-Mobile activation center, the people there are total idiots. They don’t know how to activate a new line, don’t know how to enter the proper SIM or IMEI, and keep putting me on hold to get instructions. In frustration they transfer me to “customer care” to solve the problem, only to have customer care (who are people that actually do know what to do) tell me activation’s is the department that handles that issue.
T-Mobile needs to get their act together as i have had several customers drop TMO because of the idiots in the call centers who can barely speak English .

http://twitter.com/Route66Jack Jack Warren

I don’t work for TMO, but what the employees and former employees below appears to be true in all of my interactions with the company during the last two months. The only reason I kept TMO to this point has been the outstanding customer service. Now when I call, I get an Indian call center and customer service reps who are quite obviously reading from a script. It has been a horrible experience.

Contributor

I am another disatisfied customer, looking to switch from T-Mobile following a string of negative customer care experiences with the company. Anyone know how many TMO call centers are either overseas or in Mexico?

Long ago are the days when TMO used to place highly in all those mobile phone customer satisfaction surveys!

Psb0123

I worked at a T-Mobile call center for about four months and in 25 years of working in the Information Technology field, it was the worst job I have ever had in my life. I tell my friends that it is the modern day version of a sweatshop. With a “coach” watching everything you do and no matter how well you do on the matrix of things they rate, it is the one thing you struggle with that is the total focus of their feedback. On a daily basis I would see two or three people crying in the hall after a session with a coach or supervisor, including the coaches themselves. The targets changed constantly and we were given unrealistic goals, like keep the call resolution time down, AND make sure you look up every answer (even if you just did and know the answer), and completely review the account on every call. The threat of being fired was a constant and on a daily basis people would disappear with no explanation. You would know they were fired when their desk was clean the next day. I’ll never get those four months back but I learned alot about how not to treat people and about where the boundaries are for me. I started with a class of 15 people and six months later less than a third were left. Even our trainer left the company!

Peculiar2

I had a horrible experience with Tmobile. I signed up for a two year renewal of my long time contract in response to radio ads and a large marketing campaign promoting free smartphones. I had been with the company for years and was on a plan that gave me more minutes than I normally need, but I stuck with the plan because I liked having not to worry about over usage. I called the 800 number and of course its a call center. I think it was in the Philippines. I asked but they are trained to tell you that they are not allowed to tell you. I think the person broke down and eventually told me she was in the Philippines.

After being forced to wait on hold, then go through the Tmobile phone maze to get to the call center, then giving them all my verification information again before I could begin my transaction, the call center gave me bogus information on the promotion. I was able to get them to transfer me to the loyalty department where I finally was able to be made to feel as though I had made a deal for a smart phone. In fact, it was the same deal being offered to just about anybody.

After ordering the phone and being told it would arrive ten days later, the next day I got an email telling me the phone was on back order with no delivery date. I called again and went through the same wait time, phone maze and call center verification as before. At the end of it, I was told that the back order at most would be an extra week. A friend who had negotiated for the same smartphone a few hours after I did got the same original delivery date, but her phone was not on back order and she received it two days before I did. That also turned out to be six days before the stated delivery date. I then received my phone a couple of days later, 4 days before the scheduled delivery date.

Three days later, I was out in the sun and I noticed a large scratch on the screen. I had no idea how it got there, and had not done anything unusual with the phone. I had carried in my pocket and in a gym bag full of clothes. That was it. So I called Tmobile again and went through the wait time, phone maze and Philippine call center as before. I explained my problem to the call center. They asked me if I had signed up for their insurance for the phone, which I had not. They didn’t want to help me but I eventually got the call bumped up to the U.S. based tech department. At least I think it was in the U.S. The accents were typical American accents. The tech department made an effort to help me and told me that I could exchange the phone but that I would have to return by mail. the new phone first.

I didn’t want to be without a phone for several days or a week, especially since I was paying for new services not available with my old phone, so I asked them if I could return it to a local store and swap it for a new one. It would have saved me time and would save them shipping and administrative costs and the problem would be resolved quickly. This is where the trouble really began.

They told “no”. I had to return the phone by mail to their return department, but they said I could get a loaner phone from a local store and might be able to get a replacement phone if the store manager was willing to do it. It would be at the store manager’s discretion.

So I went to the local Tmobile store. They were very difficult. They asked me if I had bought the phone insurance. When I said no and the phone was only three days old, they didn’t even want to give me a loaner. The sales associate accused me of having done something extraordinary to the phone to cause the scratch. I told him that Apple had had scratching problems with their early iPods and or iPhones and it had replaced the glass with scratch resistant glass and that seemed to work. I suggested that the Android phone was a little cheaper and probably didn’t have the scratch resistant glass and had I known that I might have taken extra precautions. I showed him an iPod touch that I had owned for more than a year and it had no scratches like the one on the three day old Android phone. Both devices had faced the same conditions during the three days I had the phone. The young associate was discourteous and ridiculed that point. He told me I should just wait for the new phone. I thought I was in a Career-builder’s commercial working with monkeys. I asked for the manager, but supposedly, the manager wasn’t there. In the end I was able to get a loaner phone.

On the next available day, I called Tmobile again and went through the same wait time, phone maze and Philippine call center as before. I explained my problem and asked them about the process of simply picking up a new phone at my local Tmobile store. I told them I had already been told over the phone that it could be done but the store was resistant. I imagined that the call center was the Filipino version of the Career-builder’s commercial. They didn’t know what to say or do so they transferred the call to the tech department, again. It was obvious they were just reading from a script and were basically useless in resolving the problem.

Again, they were somewhat helpful. They told me to get a tracking number proving that I had shipped the phone and then call back and they could arrange for me to get a new phone at a local Tmobile store. They also said they would credit my account $10 for shipping once the process was completed.

I packed the scratched phone in a box and at my own expense shipped it back to Tmobile. It was more then $10, but I didn’t mind paying a little extra out of pocket to get the job done. I got a tracking number. I then returned home and called Tmobile.

I went through the same wait time, phone maze and Philippine call center BS as before. I didn’t want to waste any time talking to the call center monkey crew, but unfortunately they insisted on getting all the verification and other information again. I gave them the tracking number for the shipped phone. They tried to check it on line, but it had not yet been posted to the carrier’s web page, so I gave them the number to the carrier’s office from where I shipped the phone.

While I waited on hold, they called that office and verified that I had shipped the phone. I then asked about going to the local store to get another phone, thus saving time and money. Again, they knew nothing about it so they transferred me to the tech department. They too took the time to verify the shipment of the phone but they were able to do it through the carrier’s web site because some of the information had, by then, been posted. The tech person then told me I could go to any local store and they should give me a new phone and I would not have to wait three days for one to be shipped. I asked if getting the phone from the local store was at the discretion of the local store manager and was told no, that the notes on my electronic account that the store would have access to, would make that unnecessary and they should simply give me another phone. She asked me if that would be all, and I said it would depend on what happened at the local store.

I then returned to the local store where I had received the loaner phone. And yes, again it was like being in a Career-builder’s commercial. The store associate I dealt with made no attempt to replace the phone. He glanced over the computerized notes, but I doubt he read them. he then said that his store wouldn’t do it. I told him that the tech person said that any local store should do it and that the notes should reflect that. He said he didn’t care what the tech person had said, the tech department had no influence over the store. I told him to call them. He dialed the call center number and began speaking with the Filipino call center. I was really in that Career-builder’s commercial now. He then told me that they confirmed what he had told me.

At this point, I demanded the store manager using a few choice expletives. The associate then went over to another associate and began explaining the issue and he asked the other associate to tell me that the store couldn’t give me another phone. I heard him and I saw what was going on. I made it clear to them I was tired of the BS and I wanted to see the real store manager.

Then another associate appeared, claiming to be the assistant store manager with all the knowledge and authority of the real store manager. The actual store manager was supposedly not there. The assistant manager, too, refused to give me a new phone. Like the previous sales associate, he tried to denigrate my status as a customer simply because I received my phone through a phone sale rather than through their store. He then got on the phone with customer service, who was still on the line. After talking to them, he handed me the phone and went to check on processing the return of the loaner phone.

I heard the voice on the phone and new instantly, I was talking to the same low level Career-builder call center people as when I called myself. I knew those people, like the ones in the store, didn’t have any decision making authority and knew nothing beyond the scripts they were reading from. I demanded an immediate transfer of the call to the tech department.

Once again I got someone quite positive, who now said, it could be done, but it was up to the store manager. I told her there was no store manager, only the flunkies who were more interested in giving me the runaround and getting me out of the store, than resolving my problem. She said she understood.

When the assistant manager returned, I put him on the phone with the tech person. The tech person tried to negotiate something with him to resolve the problem, but the assistant store manager just flatly refused. It was as if the store was at war with the online and phone divisions of the company. It was like too different companies.

I again spoke with the tech person. She told me that without the actual store manager there, it would not be possible for her to resolve the problem. I was given the choice to go to another corporate owned Tmobile store where there was a manager on duty and try to get the phone there, or, her department would expedite shipping and get me a phone within two days. At that point I had already been in the store with the Career-builder monkeys for over an hour, and it was evening, so I chose the expedited delivery service.

Well, wouldn’t you know it. The tech woman had claimed they would ship the phone out by air express mail and that I would receive it in 2 days. However, the next day when I checked the delivery date, the date was three days later. What’s interesting is that the previous phone shipped to me went out regular ground delivery and arrived in two days, yet the expedited service will take 3 days.

I tell this story to support what others have noted regarding the decline of Tmobile. I was denigrated and treated as if I were with some other carrier because I had responded to their marketing campaign via telephone versus coming into the store. Contacting them by phone leads to better product and servicing options than what is available in the store and that upsets store employees. Its the company’s fault for pitting the divisions against each other. As a result of the conflicts caused, their customer service and store employees are trained to avoid and divert problems rather than solve them.

You can’t blame the workers for their situation. They are poorly trained and not very knowledgeable and this negatively affects customer service. Tmobile customers have to realize that it’s customer service just isn’t what it used to be and its positive rating is a sham. The company is simply trading on its outdated image and in fact, it’s just another large, obnoxious, cell phone company.

Blockrn62

TMO is not as they are reporting in this news letter. TMO start looking to fire long term employees to avoid large severance packages to their employees. T-mobile let a person I know go after praises, rewards for saying that the mistreatment of customers was done. Really T-Mobile and to think I am glad I did not choose you for my wireless services. I see why you dropped in your Top customer care award as you let people go who speaks up for the customer.

Talent Acquisitions

We are looking for about 50+ Customer Service Representatives to start over the next couple of months. Job pays 14/hr. Feel free to send resumes to Keenan.Boyd@modis.com. First class starts 4/30 and we are currently submitting and interviewing. Please feel free to forward my contact info to any of they T-Mobile reps who were laid off. Our sympathies go out to them. I’ve been laid off and it comes with an immense amount of stress and worry. Lets try and get them working again!

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